The Business of Woo: Don't Lose Frame

The crucial necessity for remembering the "why" behind your Woo-based business

“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” -Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Wood Snake Year has brought its breakneck undulations to nearly every industry, profession, geography, and corner of the Woo, already leaving many of us crying “uncle!” just a short few months into 2025. To say that we are shedding and molting as a collective is the understatement of the century, and it’s worth noting: it’s only just begun.

I’ve taken to calling the start/ stop rhythms of the Wood Snake the “hurry up and wait” year, a veritable nightmare for any goal oriented professional or control freak or Virgo Rising-afflicted individual— especially practitioners in the already challenging Business of Woo!

But there is a silver lining to our forced surrender to the Wood Snake Year’s demands: in the unplanned gaps between the action— often punctuated by heavy moments of existential reflection— we can get enough space and clarity to recalibrate our systems and re-align with our soul’s purpose.

This, in turn, can help us refocus our perspective (and priorities) if we’ve lost frame in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day business, losing track of the all-too-crucial (and very personal) “so what”.

As we wrote about in our post titled “You are not your khakis” HERE on Substack, life isn’t just about putting on a costume, playing a role, and obeying and complying your way into a steady paycheck and some seriously mediocre health insurance. Sure, you need to pay your bills and be responsible with yourself, your business, and your loved ones. But no, the entire point to your existence here on planet earth is not to win an internal sales award and get a new Peleton or increase your “analytics”, whatever that even means.

And, while many of you reading this are likely thinking something to the effect of, “yah, no shit, Rachel”, these truths really do get harder to embody in the murky waters of lived reality.

After all: the map is not the territory.

Trust me: I live the consequences (both good and bad) of embracing my soul’s purpose as my livelihood, way of life, and spiritual belief system every damn day here at TOTEM. And, ever since the Wood Snake slithered into our lives last month, I’ve been processing nearly daily system checks around my soul’s purpose— and how to measure success in this very strange time.

To date, my experience with the Business of Woo in the Wood Snake Year has been humbling and frustrating, but also ultimately clarifying and empowering. Below, I’ve collected just a few tools and tricks to maintain frame while being in the Business of Woo:

Allow and acknowledge the ride

Kelly Cutrone, who owns the fashion PR firm People’s Revolution in New York, once famously said to her staff (on the reality TV show “Kell on Earth”), “If I closed my business every time I thought I was losing everything, I wouldn’t have been in business for more than a week.”

Said another way? Owning a business, especially a small business, and especially a Woo-based business, often feels like a heart-stopping rollercoaster ride. The highs are high and the lows are low, and we practitioners often don’t get a head’s up on the twists and turns before our head snaps back into our headrest!

In our present socioeconomic environment, these undulations feel even more punctuated and dramatic— and nearly everyone that I talk to shares my feeling of near perpetual exhaustion as we grind our gears to accommodate, integrate and process unexpected (and often negative) change with a smile on our faces.

One example: for the first time since opening TOTEM more than a decade ago, I’ve recently had two coaching clients rug-pull me aggressively the day we were supposed to start working together (and they were supposed to pay), not only wasting two coaching program spots (that I could have filled with other interested parties) but also dramatically changing my revenue projections, sending my other business plans into a short term tailspin.

Sure, life happens. And anyone will tell you I’m the furthest thing from a prison warden when it comes to working dynamics. But communication— and honesty and transparency— really do go a long way with regard to my ability to process the unexpected.

What’s more: when you work for yourself out here in the Business of Woo, there’s really no accountability for thoughtless or abusive (or contract-violating) behavior. I mean, there’s certainly no HR department or manager with whom to engage to resolve the situation. Sure, there’s a signed agreement…but, upon reflection, do you really don’t want to become the kind of person that turns to litigation to solve a basic asshole problem? What’s more: do you want to spend what little precious energy you have this year on the negative when you could just pivot it towards positive, productive stuff on the horizon?

The long and the short of it? You kind of just have to take it on the chin and keep it moving.

But this presents its own set of issues, namely the possibility of becoming energetically drained, emotionally bereft, resentful, sour, dour or straight up rigid and distrustful, all of which are not optimal attributes when navigating the beautiful, awe-inspiring world of Woo! So, surely there must be tips and tricks to help mitigate such personal and professional harm in this new, shifting ecosystem this year, right? A way to navigate or transmute these unexpected plot twists so we don’t turn into the Grinch? I mean, it’s not like we’re in control of others’ bad behavior, or inflation, or business trends or policy, right?

Right.

And here’s more good news: as Woo-based practitioners, we have the spiritual technology to handle it…maybe even in stride!

Go slow

As I referenced in this recent post HERE on Substack, I’m taking way more breaks in my workday— and going much, much slower than usual. With the rug pulls and unexpected disruptions, my bandwidth is getting eaten up much faster than in the previous Wood Dragon Year, and I can feel physical and energetic burn-out hitting much faster.

To this end, I’m working on releasing any expectation of control or momentum in my workday, instead embracing a spirit of non-attachment to my daily efforts or actions. Now, it’s important to note that non-attachment is not an excuse to mail it in, show up late, be flaky, or otherwise half-ass it. Rather, it’s about putting in the appropriate effort but not attaching emotionally or psychologically to a specific idea of a desired outcome.

So, instead of getting stressed or frustrated by the losses or setbacks, I’ve consciously stepped into an energy of allowing: surrendering to the twists and turns of this Wood Snake Year instead of my usual white-knuckling and forcing (and achieving). I mean, if these things really are outside of our control, then why burn myself out completely by freaking out over it? At least with this go-slow approach, I’m managing what elements are actually within my control this year: my health, my state of mind, my vibe, and my energetic sovereignty.

Pro tip: To maintain discipline around these very necessary breaks, I’ve been sticking to a scheduled afternoon meditation, either while listening to Shamanic Journeying Drumming music or sitting (or laying) in silence, the latter of which seems to be increasingly important in this Wood Snake Year. I’ve been meditating on top of a grounding mat, recommended by the incredible

Sublime Feminine with Winter

, to help to ameliorate any negative effects from working with so many electronics. And I’ve been using a beautiful pink light to “warm” my energy work room, giving it a subtle, womb-like vibe that helps me unwind. Aromatherapy has also been key, as have regular salt baths. If this year is going to slap me about the face with the unexpected, I’m at least going to light a damn Diptyque candle.

#thestruggleisreal

A “Yes” is also a “No”

As we’ve discussed many times in our “Business of Woo” solo episodes of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, when you say “yes” to something, you’re inherently saying “no” to something else. And the reverse is true, reflecting the inherent, limited nature of the mechanics of the 3D reality in which we live.

Listen, I don’t make the rules, okay? I just live here, paying utility bills and, essentially, always needing an eyebrow wax.

Said another way? I would LOVE to be an infinite being of infinite light and infinite time and infinite money and infinite patience, but I’m not. Sure, my soul is infinite or whatever, but I’m currently on planet earth wearing an aging meat sack and dealing with a whole bunch of inflation, so that’s kind of the reality I’m being forced to deal with in the Business of Woo on the daily.

Hold. The. Line.

So, when more than a dozen people have reached out in the last two weeks looking for what amounts to free advice or a free session or “just a quick” free consultation via email or phone, I’ve actually remembered my whole “a yes is a no” paradigm— and asked them to book a session with me. Many of these people are friendly acquaintances and, in a perfect world of unlimited time and resources, I’d happily just spend an hour or more answering their questions and sharing the insights I’ve gained across the last two decades at great personal expense. For free.

But we’re not in that world, are we?

Sure, sending them a booking link and redirecting them was awkward, but I made a promise to myself at the start of the Wood Snake Year that I was going to get out of “grow mode” and into “conserve mode”, protecting my energy, free time and, frankly, investment in my own growth and knowledge.

To this end, I’ve been encouraging folks seeking recommendations on which TOTEM Flower Essences to purchase (usually via Etsy messenger) to book a TOTEM Flower Essence Consultation, check out the many flower essence-related posts we’ve written here on Substack, or simply review the best sellers and other customer reviews. And, while a few folks have balked at this suggestion, others have said “thank you” and kept it moving.

None of these new approaches to navigating these requests and demands are about grabbing at money or upselling anyone. What they are about is me acknowledging my own finite nature, honoring the “other Rachel” that might want to use that time and energy to read a book, hang out with her husband, or pick up a damn hobby.

And, while it might seem like this policy is not very love and light, may I suggest that bleeding out financially and energetically while your personal and professional life implodes so that others can feast on your knowledge, sweat equity, and core life essence is also not very love and light?

Pro tip: Consider instituting formal policies around “free advice” for your Woo-based business this year, even if there is only one employee (you). After all: if people generally pay you to say or write or otherwise share the thought capital in your head, then this is a core currency for you and your business. So, giving it away for free isn’t very good business, is it?

And, if you formalize these as policies, you won’t be in the awkward position of negotiating each instance with yourself or others in the moment, thus saving yourself a great deal of internal hand-wringing and energetic drainage.

The best part? Many people are happy to book a time with you or go through your preferred channels of workflow. So, no harm, no foul;)

Redefining success

The Business of Woo is taking on a very novel patina in this Wood Snake Year, prompting many of us to redefine what success looks like as we grow in new and unexpected ways. And, while initially frustrating, I think we’re all being invited into a new paradigm: one that celebrates real human connection over superficial digital metrics or keeping up with the proverbial Joneses.

I mean, life isn’t a video game. So we shouldn’t be tracking our success (or worth) on video game-type criteria: numbers of followers, dollars accumulated in the bank account, % increase in downloads, etc..

So, what should success look like in the Business of Woo? For me, I’ve been counting my blessings, chief among them the wonderful, thoughtful friends I’ve made in doing this work. Just this past week, I received a gorgeous set of Japanese dragon bowls from the incredible JaKi of Moon Monke— one of my recent Business of Woo mentoring clients. I also received several fantastic flower essences (and a hydrosol spray) from the fantastic

Abigail Kochunas

, another client and two time guest on The Skeptical Shaman podcast.

I got to enjoy another client/ friend’s recent visit to our home here in Austin, going on walks and generally just sharing the very human magic that is shamanism.

These are but a few of examples of my own multidimensional abundance in this Wood Snake Year, reminding me that I’m living my life’s purpose, being of service, and experiencing the kind of daily magic that I missed in my little grey cubicle when I worked in Corporate Real Estate.

And, before you start worrying about me becoming homeless or something, let me just say: TOTEM is doing great on paper this year, too. It’s just that it’s more, well, up and down than usual— and these serpentine undulations are inviting me to look at the steady, rooted flow of other meaningful elements to this work.

By shifting my perspective, I’ve been less frustrated with the ups and downs of the Wood Snake Year, consciously reconnecting to what really matters beneath it all.

Embrace an analogue life

One major factor in my perspective shift around what success looks like is an earnest focus on living a more analogue— and way less digital— life. To this end, I’ve turned off all of my notifications across social media, Substack, Slack, email and more, giving my nervous system a break from the pings and dings of constant online activity.

To further assist in coming off of the digital methadone— and ameliorate the negative impacts of wifi, blue screens, and content pollution— I’m growing a ton of yellow yarrow in the garden this year, hoping to turn it into a new TOTEM Flower Essence designed to protect us from such digital and environmental harms. Yellow yarrow is particularly well-suited to helping the energy body detox from the ill effects of EMF, helping us to ground into the natural world and reconnect to nature’s rhythms.

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The silver lining

“From the outside it appears that god is carrying you home, but on the inside it is you who have become the god and carry yourself.” -Mary El Tarot

While this Wood Snake Year is proving to be particularly challenging for all of us— especially those of us in the Business of Woo— it’s also going to be a tremendous opportunity to be of service.

Or, as Rihanna would say, “Baby, this is what you came for”.

If you believe that you have a higher calling to share your Woo-based gifts with the general public, then this is your time to fulfill this calling. If you’ve been contemplating taking the leap into your own Woo-based side hustle or full-time business, consider this post your cosmic invitation to embrace your destiny, roll up your sleeves, and get into the solution.

Your fellow humans actually need what the Woo has to offer in this Wood Snake Year. The world is being forced to process and integrate grief, scarcity, fear, misalignment, and burnout at incredible levels, making your unique gifts (however latent or dormant) all the more crucial— and time sensitive!

Besides, it is my work in the Woo that has helped me to not lose frame when life (or business) get volatile. So, while I’m being of service to my clients and to the Woo as a whole, it’s undoubtedly the case that I’ve been doubly healed and helped by all of you (and the Woo) in kind.

I can’t think of any other profession that gives as good as it gets, and I’m eternally grateful for being able to do wake up and do this everyday— regardless of any momentary spasms I need to address in 3D reality.

For those, I have a grounding mat and some essential oils. And I can talk to my Spirit Guides and work with my TOTEM Animals.

And I can hop on Zoom and connect with all of you, face-to-face, as we navigate the World of Woo together.

Don’t lose frame this year, guys. It’s just not worth it.

Instead, dig into the Woo. And, if you feel called, check out the Business of Woo-related resources (and posts and podcasts) that we’ve included below.

Want to connect with me on the Spiritual Transformation Coaching Program or Business of Woo Mentoring Programs? Feel free to book a FREE consultation with me via these booking links (immediately below):

• Spiritual Transformation Coaching Consultation: https://calendly.com/rachel-1061/totem-spiritual-transformation-coaching-consultation

• Business of Woo Mentoring Program: https://calendly.com/rachel-1061/business-of-woo-free-consultation

It’s going to be a long, strange, but ultimately life-affirming journey this year!

-Rachel

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